About PhilJ1

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PhilJ1's Past Cruises

June 2013 - Allure of the Seas to Caribbean - Western

By everyone's acocunt, the Allure is truly splendid, clean, lots to do, with interesting intineraries. However, for all it's size, even though service was generally excellent, it just cannot offer the same look and feel that some of Royal's smaller boats do -- there's no midnight buffet, no deck parties at night, no nightly dining room "shows". I was also disappointed that all the deck bars close down at 8PM -- they focus passengers on night activities interior to the ship. The main Dining room food was mostly bland (excellent soups and desserts however), and our one dinner experience in a paid restaurant was horrible (Samba Grill, worst Brazilian steak I've ever had). As others have mentioned, the Windjammer restaurant is pretty good for the all-purpose buffet set, breakfast and lunch.
Other than sailing at the hottest time of the year for the Caribbean, all three ports' excursions were nice - Dragon's Tail zipline in Labadee is not to be missed, and the two excursions I booked (whitewater tubing in Falmouth, X-ATV offroad tour in Cozumel) were excellent, and less expensive with a more personal experience than the corresponding RCCL tours. My teenage sons and I thoroughly enjoyed all three ports and the excursions we took.
I'd recommend this cruise -- but bring your own water, book your activities (shows,etc) early, and don't be afraid to try the non-Dining room food, Johnny Rockets and Chops have good food (you can get a Chops steak in the main Dining room for an upcharge, probably a good idea by RCCL).

July 2010 - Monarch of the Seas (RETIRED) to Caribbean - Bahamas

Was a nice trip and itinerary for this ship -- the distance and 4-day duration of the cruise made for smooth sailing. My first-time cruising teenagers liked the boat, but wished for a few more amenities found on newer/larger ships. A number of long lines for key services (pool towel return, midnight buffet, guest services desk) wasted too much time. Excellent dinner service and friendly staff compensate for average facilities.